http://www.aero.org/conferences/planetarydefense/index.html
2007 Planetary Defense Conference
March 5-8, 2007
George Washington University
Washington, D.C.
The objective of the conference is to develop a white paper that
assesses the current state of our ability to discover and track near
earth objects (NEOs - objects that could possibly impact Earth) and our
ability to successfully deflect a threatening object should one be
detected. Included will be recommendations on:
* What must be done to enhance our ability to discover threatening
objects?
* What sizes of objects pose the greatest threat and what are the
options available for deflecting an object?
* How can a deflection mission be designed to ensure the highest
probability of success?
* What political, policy, and legal actions would be required?
* How public confidence in our ability to mount a successful
mitigation mission can be enhanced?
* How should we prepare for and respond to an impact-related disaster?
The conference will follow a systems approach to planetary defense,
similar to that followed for the 2004 Planetary Defense Conference (see
www.planetarydefense.info). Topics to be discussed include:
* Current activities and status of efforts to discover and track
NEOs, asteroids and comets that cross the Earth's orbit and could
one day be a threat.
* Updates from Deep Impact and other recent missions.
* How a NEO impact might affect Earth and our environment and how
the risk varies as a function of object size.
* The engineering aspects of the problem - what are our options for
deflecting an oncoming body?
* What would a deflection mission look like? What can we do if an
object on a collision course is discovered today?
* What are critical nonengineering aspects of the problem? How would
we prepare the public for an impact or a mitigation mission? What
are the political, policy, and legal issues that would affect the
approval and execution of a mission? How should we prepare for and
respond to a disaster of this type?
* How should international activities and capabilities be
coordinated and incorporated into an overall deflection effort?
Sponsors include The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
The Aerospace Corporation, Space Science Institute.
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